Industrial design degree overview

In essence, industrial designers design the way that we live our lives, by creating, innovating, and styling the common mass-produced items that we buy, use, and consume.

They are the professionals who research, build, and test prototypes to maximize the functionality and desirability of products, from cars to food packaging to consumer electronics. In their work, they consider characteristics like materials, size, shape, weight, color, functionality, and safety.

Students of industrial design learn in the classroom, in the computer lab, and in the design studio. They study the history of industrial design, design conceptualization, drawing, dimensional and computer-aided design, materials and processes, and model making.

In the simplest of terms, this is a degree for the person who loves art and loves to make things. It is a degree found at the intersection of science and art.

Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design – Four Year Duration
The Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design is typically the minimum qualification needed to work in the field. With this undergraduate degree it is generally possible to secure an entry-level position. Here are some sample courses offered at the bachelor’s level:

• Visual Communications – foundation in three-dimensional visualization through manual sketching of contemporary designs
• Two-Dimensional (2D) Design Principles
• Concept Model Making
• History of Design
• Design Studio – the stages of product development, creative and artistic methods, objective and scientific methods
• Technical Drawing
• Three-Dimensional (3D) Design Principles
• Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Studio – studio work in the development of the CAD skills used to communicate product form and product specifications
• Materials and Manufacturing for Design
• Human Factors
• Graphic Design for Industrial Design
• Interaction Design Studio – the design of interactive products that includes the way users will interact with them
• Multimedia Design – media presentation of projects, development of a personal portfolio of work
• Quantitative Research Methods – data collection, sampling techniques, statistical analysis, graphic presentation of data
• Product Design Studio – design challenges and solutions, producing design concepts that respond to materials and manufacturing processes
• Transportation Design Studio – design principles for transportation products, safety principles, ergonomics, sight lines, sustainability
• Sustainable Design
• Entrepreneurship
• Qualitative Research Methods – research methods such as interviewing, focus groups, participant observation, interpreting results
• Design Management – industrial design business model, leadership, innovation, and corporate growth
• Professional Practices – industrial design ethics, professional development, lifelong learning
• Industrial Design Work Experience
• Senior Level Design Project – a unique design project, including idea concept, sketches, research, physical models, and proof of design merit

Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering degree programs teach the analytical, computational, and engineering and design skills needed to work in the aerospace industry. Students learn how to apply this knowledge to the manufacturing, testing, and monitoring of civil or commercial aircraft, military aircraft, missiles, rockets, spacecraft, lunar vehicles, and space stations.

Architecture
A degree in architecture will appeal to individuals who have an interest in and appreciation for both the sciences and the arts. This is because architecture is itself the art and science of designing and engineering structures and buildings. It is a field with a foundation in creativity, technology, and social and cultural trends.

Biomedical Engineering
Simply stated, biomedical engineering uses engineering to solve health and medical problems. For example, a biomedical engineer might look for chemical signals in the body that warn of a particular disease or condition.

Commercial Art
Professionals in this field combine art and business by using their creative skills to market and sell products and services. The degree gives students a background in branding, account planning and management, as well as the aesthetic concepts of color theory and composition.

Drafting Technology
This degree field teaches students to use computer programs to create specialized drawings that are used in engineering, construction, and manufacturing.

Appreciation for Product Marketability
It is important for industrial designers to design products that are commercially viable and appealing to a market segment.

Attention to Detail
Creating precise drawings with correct measurements that can be used by contractors and sub-contractors is a critical skill developed in industrial design school.

Capacity to Work to Deadlines
Industrial design must respond to market demand, and this means being able to meet deadlines.

Creativity / Artistic Ability / Sense of Style
Coming up with the style and choosing the material for a product takes an artistic eye and out-of-the-box thinking.

Drawing Skills / Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
The ability to present an idea in a manual or computer generated drawing can be used in any business sector.

There are four primary fields of industrial design, in which graduates of the discipline typically work:

Commercial Design
The majority of industrial designers work in this primary segment of the field and are employed by manufacturers of all kinds of products.

Commercial design is primarily driven by the market and the desire for profitability. Its focus is on designing and creating safe, useful, aesthetically pleasing, and affordable products that consumers want and/or need and that make money. Manufactured products that fall into this category of industrial design are almost endless, because they include almost everything we use on a daily basis.

Some examples are medical aids and equipment, automobile bodies and interiors, furniture, televisions, appliances, light fixtures, flashlights, cell phones, cameras, clocks and watches, speakers, headphones, dishware, barbecues, cutlery, kitchen utensils, razors and shavers, toothbrushes, textiles, tools, toys, bicycles, skateboards, snowboards, helmets, sports footwear, umbrellas, pens, and scissors. And the list goes on.